KGB

I have been bitten by the touring bug big time. I plan to buy a Enfield ( Machimso 350 ) and go around the country. But before I do so I have a few concerns.
Dangers of Riding on the Highway.

I will break it up for you.
I have listed things going through my mind – which I think are risky
1)Top on the list . Blind corners ! How do you negotiate them ? How often do you get opposing traffic overtaking on these corners, and are surprised by these oncoming vehicles .
2)Being bullied by larger vehicles. Is this a huge concern ?
3)Completely idoitic drivers. How often are they a problem ?
4)Generally how much riskier is Highyway riding compared to City riding ?

I plan to ride safely , wear necessary gear et al but i cannot control the others

Please let know what you think - especially the experienced tourers.

Aryan

Query Approved.

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rx100.7050

1) As you already said BLIND corners. You got to negotiate them with utmost care. Be absolutely aware of the flow of traffic. Let's take an example. You are about to take a left hand turn, a BLIND corner. What I think is you should not be at the extreme left hand lane, should be in the middle lane. It will increase your peripheral vision a bit. But got to take this corner carefully & slowly. Dont know what others will be doing

2) larger vehicles would be trucks & SUVs I guess. Well, as far as my riding style on highway is concerned, I try to faster than avg vehicles. This ensures that larger vehicles do not overtake me with insane speeds & I get totally freaked out. But there are still much more powerful cars which can overtake you. RVMs comes to my help here. Trust me, I keep a watch on the vehicles coming behind me.

3)Idiotic drivers will stay like that coz they are born that way. Again I would say that RVMs would help a lot.

4) I would rate Highways bit safer than city roads. Have ridden on highway for whole night once. Truckers are still a behaved lot than the moron CITY rich kids

Last but not the least. I am far less experienced. Just my opnion bro. Have done some touring. So, here was my share of things

Btw: KGB used to be. Now its FSB, right???

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Hyperion

1. Blind Corners : Its no secret, dont get cocky with blind corners. A good way to safely negotiate them, is to hold your lane and go slow. Also, I generally let out a honk or two , to warn any oncoming vehicles of my presence.Night driving also has its pros, you can sense presence of oncoming vehicles around blind corners by their headlight beams. I dont know how often, but I always assume there is something coming from the opposing lane.

2. Um..not really. Trucks will never bother you. But yes I had a few errant bus riders running me out of lane.

3. Not very often. But they are a present danger on highways, especially cars. Just pave way for them, theres no way Indian bikes can compete with cars on Highways.

4. I think they each have their own sets of hazards. The chances of an accident are comparitively lesser on the highway but when it happens its likely to be more damaging than when riding in the city.

kaynmantis

Always keep to your side of the lane and NEVER overtake in blind corners. The other driver is more likely to be more surprised than you.
I try to keep clear from them. If they are slow I overtake them quickly. If they are fast, I give them clear path to get past. If we are somewhat of equal speed. I always try to stay infront of them within a good distance. Riding behind heavy vehicles greatly limits your vision.
I dont always encounter idiotic drivers, but I'm always alert for them.
As Hyperion pointed out. Less likely to have accident, but more dangerous if you do have one.

Praful

See the bold part!

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Shivanshu

Blind Corners:- They are always tricky as you dont know whats waiting for you at the other end. Well to negotiate it, in day time... honk before turning in it and make sure you honk 2 or 3 times. In night time use dipper to distract the vehicle coming from other side..so that he becomes aware of your incoming. And for yourself while taking Blind Corners always give yourself extra space on left side so that you have space to secure or move yourself, in case any stupid is driving/riding the wrong way from other side.

Being Bullied by Larger Vehicles:- Well it usually doesnt happen much but you never know. Even your riding style depends for this point. Well whenever any such situation happens just slow down and let them pass. Never pass comments or any signal which can make the situation ugly. Just be a patient and responsible rider. If being bullied ignore and ride safely and let them overtake you with ease... this way you avoid all those unwanted stress on your brains while riding.

Completely idoitic drivers:- As you said completely idiotic drivers, well you can find them everywhere and nowhere. Its just matter of time and luck. Completely idiotic drivers are more of a problem than being bullied. They are of concern as they do something so stupid which you even cant think of while riding behind them. So keep a good vision of these drivers. Their driving style is a clear give away of how idiot or stupid the driver is. So try not to go near them.

How much riskier is Highyway riding compared to City riding:-

I would ask you a question on your this topic...how safe do you ride? If you are a safe & sane rider, who follows rules, respect others on road, stick to your lane, ride properly then IMO you should be safe in city as well as Highway. But if you are other way around then you know to zig-zag your way...in which case city and highway both can be deadly.
Highway riding does involves patience and discipline, and Highway has its own set of rules. Its easy to move from one lane to another in city than in highway. In highway you give respect to others, and you will get respect from others as well. You need to stick to the left lane, ride in a good manner, and make your presence felt on the highway, Like in night if you can see a vehicle coming from behind in your RVM, then use the right indicator, so that it alerts the vehicle coming behind that okie you are their and you are giving him pass. Their are many things which highway asks for while riding, which is very different from riding in city.

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torque24

Dude... you definitely cant look behind a corner.. and yo could never judge another engine on wheels, other than the one between your legs....

At these times the only thing that you could do is drive with your sense's .
Feel the touch of the throtle, brakes and the clutch.
Let your eyes plan the graph on the route.
Let your ears be the corner grabber.

index them into one focus point.. thats it you are unshakable.... Just enjoy the ride... dont learn to enjoy... dont read from the books... be yourselves on the road but responsibly.

Good luck!

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KGB

Appreciate all your inputs valuable points in each one .

Hyperion : Good point about the night riding, you sure would be able to tell if something is coming around the corner from the Head Lights. Night riding sure does have it benefits .I am willing to bet that visibility actually goes up a little for motorcycles at night, especially on the Highway.If you are wearing a reflective Jacket, and have some reflective decals on the Helmet and Bike.
This is a good site for decals / stripes.
http://www.streetglo.net/

rx100.7050 : Good point about the flow of traffic and RVMs. Yes now it is FSB the only thing left of the KGB is me.

Reason I am safety conscious is because I have seen my fair share of idiotic drivers while being dropped home at night from work. Most of the BPO drivers think driving is a game where you have to drive to break the speed of sound. Scary to think these same guys or on the Highway .